Harry Potter art director reveals intricate set never seen on screen

While some superfans have seen the Harry Potter films time and time again, there are still some details even the most eagle-eyed viewers will have missed.

That’s down to the level of detail from unsung heroes behind-the-scenes, like Art Director Gary Tomkins, who worked on all eight movies.

Speaking exclusively to Radio Times to mark the 25th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (and the new Summer Feature at the Warner Bros Studio Tour), Tomkins revealed that there are some intricate sets that he worked on that were never actually seen on screen, including Shell Cottage, Bill and Fleur Weasley’s seaside home.

“Shell Cottage, we built on the seashore in Pembrokeshire,” Tomkins recalled.

“It was a full-sized house. We built some of the interior and the exterior, with a garden. The walls themselves were built with shells, and we had a sculptor model up all the shells so it would be made like a stone building, but instead of stone, it was shells.

“All the shells had little, tiny barnacles on, a fantastic level of detail – all hand painted. The slates on the roof weren’t slate, they were actually shells. We worked out how they would fit together. It was a huge level of detail. The garden was planted up, we had fences. We had part of the interior, we had curtains at the window – all of that.

“And then, when you see the final film, all you see is Shell Cottage in the background of the death of Dobby, and the actors in foreground. In the background, out of focus is Shell Cottage!”

However, Tomkins added: “You can barely see the cottage, let alone [the small details]. But, we did it, we knew it was there. We were always indulged, and we could afford to build beautiful sets, and it gave the director an opportunity to shoot in and around it.

“But the key shot that everyone remembers is everyone looking at Dobby, and not my beautiful house in the background!”

While Shell Cottage might not have had its shining moment on screen, one part of Tomkins’ work that certainly did was Hogwarts Castle.

“Stuart [Craig, Production Designer] did a very sort of basic sketch – well, very elaborate sketch but a basic plan – from which myself and the other members of the team drew up, like an architect would draw up a house, we drew up the castle,” he explained of the process.

“We were integrating the elements of the real world places that we shot on location, in Gloucester, Durham, and it pretty much came together as we had planned.

“In subsequent films, of course, because new things came in in the script that we weren’t aware of when we built the first film, we had to change the design of the castle. So as you move through the films, the castle constantly changes its design.

“It’s one of the only film projects I’ve been on over my entire career where continuity doesn’t really matter, because you can say, ‘Well, it’s magic!'”

For Tomkins, the Studio Tour is a chance for both the behind-the-scenes details to be appreciated by the fans.

“I love the Studio Tour, because it is that perfect opportunity to show the public all of the detail that goes into the sets and props and costumes and everything else,” he pointed out.

“Very often that’s lost on the screen, but you can come here and you can get up really close to everything, and see the level of detail. It’s an incredible level of detail that was put into everything.

“I’m just thrilled, and continue to be thrilled every time I come to the tour to see people enjoying that.”

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has faced backlash in some quarters due to her views on transgender rights. In 2020, she published a lengthy statement detailing her stance on sex and gender debates – the essay was criticised and disputed by LGBTQ+ charities including Stonewall.

Rowling has also shared her views on social media, including in a 2024 post on X (formerly Twitter), in which she insisted that “there are no trans kids” and opposed the idea that a child can be “born in the wrong body”.

In May 2025, Rowling set up the JK Rowling Women’s Fund, which describes itself as offering legal funding support to “individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights”.

Harry Potter actors including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, have distanced themselves from Rowling’s views and have issued statements supporting the transgender community. Others, including Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent, have defended the author from the criticism she has received.

You can buy tickets to The Warner Bros Studio Tour now.

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